


Burn It All Down

by slowcookedvig



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: #MeToo, F/F, F/M, US Politics - Freeform, anti-sexual assault, cathartic implied violence, inspired by current events, parties in which sexual assault is implied to be happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 08:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowcookedvig/pseuds/slowcookedvig
Summary: Zari discovers the key historical event that sets her timeline's dystopia in action. Sara, Wally, and Mick head to the 1980s with her to try to fix it.





	Burn It All Down

**Author's Note:**

> Content warning: references to sexual assault stories that have recently been in the news. If articles in media like the New Yorker have left you as raw and stressed out as they have left me, you might want to skip this.
> 
> Or if you're as angry as I am, you might find it cathartic.
> 
> There is fire. And ass-kicking. In addition to teenaged boys who make my skin crawl as I remember every creepy interaction I ever had, high school and beyond.
> 
> Music references:  
> 867-5309 by Tommy Tutone  
> Jack & Diane by John Mellencamp  
> Burning Down the House by the Talking Heads

Sara had just sat down with a cup of coffee and a trashy novel when Ray and Nate ran into her room. She raised her eyebrows at them and waited. Whatever the problem was, they'd tell her soon enough.

"Sara, you need to go down to the jump ship," Ray started.

"History depends on it," Nate added.

Sara tilted her head and waved her hand at them, encouraging them to get on with it.

"It's Zari," Nate said, as if that were an explanation. "She's been talking in secret to Gideon."

"Well, technically, she hacked Gideon," Ray corrected. "So none of the rest of us would know what she was doing."

"And...?" Sara put her coffee down, hoping that would encourage them to get to the point.

"She's been trying to figure out how things got so bad, in her timeline," Nate said.

"And she figured it out," Sara finished. 

"Exactly," Ray said. He and Nate looked at her expectantly.

Sara picked up her coffee and took one more sip of it. "And you want me to talk her out of... whatever she's planning to do."

Ray shrugged. "You ARE the captain." He finally looked at her coffee cup. "Were you just having breakfast?"

Sara swallowed the remainder of the coffee. "Yes," she said. "I was. And don't either of you eat the croissants that Mick made. They actually look good."

Ray and Nate glanced at each other. They were totally going to eat all of the croissants.

Sara gave them another dangerous look, then got to her feet.

Ray looked surprised. "Aren't you going to take any weapons or anything?"

Sara frowned. "It's Zari. I'm going to talk to her."

"Ok. I mean, you're good at talking. It's just that..." Ray looked at Nate.

"Zari said she was going to burn it all down," Nate said. "And then she blew us out of the jump ship and slammed the door."

"But she hasn't left yet," Sara said. "Gideon?"

"That is true, Captain Lance," Gideon confirmed. "The jump ship is still docked."

"Which means that she just didn't want to talk to YOU." She looked from Ray and Nate to the croissants and back. "DON'T eat them."

They both shook their heads innocently. Sara just rolled her eyes and strode to down the hallway to the jump ship.

***

Zari looked up from the console where she was sitting. "Good, it's you," she said. "Ray and Nate wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. And this is _not_ the right time to try that with me." She looked up at Sara. "You should sit down for this."

Sara sat. "Ray and Nate told me that you figured out when things went wrong for your timeline," she said. "And that you plan to do something about it." She raised her eyebrows. "Nate said you planned to _burn it all down_." 

"Those were my exact words," Zari said. "So he gets a point for remembering the message, at least."

"The message?" Sara asked. "You wanted me to stop you?" 

Zari shook her head. "I wanted you to come along."

"I'm sleeping with the former head of the Time Bureau," Sara pointed out. "I'm trying to be good about messing with history. And _burn it all down_ doesn't sound like behaving myself."

"You haven't seen what's in Gideon's archives," Zari said. "Gideon?" 

The images materialized in the middle of the jump ship.

"Would you like to show the entire recording to Captain Lance?" Gideon asked.

"Just the main points," Zari said. "I don't think anyone deserves to be forced to watch all of that. Maybe start at the conclusion - some of the headlines."

"Very well," Gideon replied.

Sara listened as Zari explained the significance of each event. The limitations on due process, and on illegal searches and seizures (first restricting the protections to citizens, and then limiting the rights for everyone), which tied directly to ARGUS's abuses in Zari's time. The limits on who could even be a citizen - doing away with birthright citizenship, and then requiring people to show a parent's birth certificate as evidence. The loss of citizenship for felons. The ways in which women became felons for trying to control their fertility - first declaring rights for fetuses, and then making it a felony to kill a fetus, and then categorizing all birth control - not just the pill, but anything beyond a condom - as 'killing a fetus.' Re-criminalization of same-sex relationships. Changing census rules...

Sara's hair flew into her eyes as Wally zipped into the room.

"I found croissants," he said. "And Sara's weapons." 

"Thanks," Zari said.

"You're in on this?" Sara asked Wally. "I thought it was just Zari."

"I'm not into the whole three-fifths of a person thing," Wally said.

"We hadn't quite gotten to that one," Zari said.

"So you found the point at which all this started?" Sara said.

"I did," Zari said. "Well, Gideon did."

The image changed to another series of headlines.

"You want to stop a Supreme Court justice from being confirmed," Sara said.

"You will, too." Zari sounded certain. "Watch."

Sara watched. And her fists tightened, and her vision went blank. _And then she heard the music pounding, and the lights swirling around her. Someone's mansion. Not Ollie's or Tommy's, but one of their friends. A boy grabbed her arm, and someone laughed._

_"Isn't that Laurel's little sister?" someone asked._

_They talked. Sara wasn't sure what they were saying._

_Then someone else stepped close to her. One of Laurel's friends. Johanna?_

_"Sara, you should go home. I'll take you."_

Sara looked up and blinked. Zari was still there, and Wally. And for some reason, Mick.

"Fine," Sara said. "Let's go." 

***

"I heard there was going to be a fire," Mick explained around a mouthful of croissant. "Plus I hate rich frat boys."

"When are we going?" Wally asked. "We could go to 2018. I could leave some senators in the middle of the Maine woods."

"We could go to 2016," Zari suggested. "Expose the deals with the Russians."

"We could turn DC into a giant hole in the ground," Mick said. "Lots of times when that would be good."

_The lights flashed, and the bass thumped._

_"Isn't her dad a cop?" someone asked._

_"Yeah," a different someone said. "Get her out of here before we get busted."_

_"Scared of cops?" another one mocked him._

_"My dad warned me about getting a police record," the kid said. "College. Jobs. Everyone knows that her dad won't look the other way."_

_The music rushed in Sara's ears, and she didn't hear the rest._

"We're going back further," Sara said. "The 80s. Pack your towels, kids, cause it's Beach Week."

*** 

"Tell me why you and Zari are going to the party, and I'm not?" Wally asked. Again. "I look more like a high school student."

"Because these rich kids are a bunch of fucking racists," Mick answered for her. "Don't know why you didn't figure that out the first time."

Wally frowned at Sara. "I thought you said you had a different job for me," he said. "And won't Zari stand out, too? And you might be blonde, but you're getting old." He shrugged at Sara and Zari's glares. "It's true."

Sara sighed. "I was TRYING to be diplomatic," she said. "But, yes. We do have another job for you. Your skill is running fast."

"Yeah. So?" Wally didn't move.

"So if things go bad, your job is to run into the house and get us out of there." Sara walked pointedly around him and grabbed the blue eyeshadow from the makeup drawer.

"So I'm just the backup plan," Wally grumbled. "In case things go wrong."

"So you're guaranteed to see some action," Mick said, putting on the mirrored sunglasses beneath the police cap.

"Things always go wrong," Zari agreed. "Move. The cord on this curling iron isn't very long."

When they finished, Sara reviewed the plan with the rest of the group. She and Zari were supposed to be local girls. Or young women. Whatever. Young enough to show up at a party with rich high school boys. Poor enough to seem vulnerable.

Mick was a cop, who would show up to bust the under-age drinking. After the boys were obviously drunk, but before they managed to hurt or traumatize any of the girls. 

Wally would stay outside, near the jump ship, watching for a signal that something had gone wrong, ready to rescue everyone.

 

*** 

They could hear the music - and occasional drunken shrieks - from the end of the long driveway. Zari shook her head, trying to get the curls into the right position.

"That's what the AquaNet was for," Sara commented.

Zari sighed. "You seem awfully comfortable with this," she said.

"I grew up sneaking into parties at mansions," Sara replied. "Just don't drink the punch."

"I read the history," Zari said. "I know."

The front door opened, briefly silhouetting a crowd of kids before one stumbled out, leaned over the shrubs in the front yard, and vomited. Sara reached the steps in time to grab her hair and hold it back.

"Thanks," the girl said over the music.

"No problem," Sara replied. "Looks like you're having a rough night. Do you live near here?"

"Just down the road," the girl said. 

"They invite everyone?" Zari asked.

"They don't care whether you're invited, if you're a girl," she said. "Oh, shit." She turned to the bushes and began puking again. "I feel like hell."

"You should go home," Sara suggested.

"Yeah," she said. "Hey, I didn't catch your name."

The music blared out of a window. _867 5309..._  

"Jenny," Sara said. "You can call me Jenny. And this is Diane."

"Thanks, Jenny," the girl said. "Oh, and watch out for the guys upstairs. They're mean drunks."

"We've heard," Zari said. "But thanks for the warning, anyway."

***

"We need to split up," Sara said. "Cover as much ground as possible. Find the target, make sure he's obviously drunk, and call for Mick." 

"And don't drink the punch," Zari agreed.

"But act like you have," Sara reminded her. "Drunk enough to be ignored. Not drunk enough to be a target." 

"Whatever you say, Jenny," Zari replied.

Sara gave her a quick grin, then led the way into the room. They separated, and Zari immediately disappeared behind a group of dancing kids.

It wasn't so different from the parties that Sara had gone to in high school. Sure, Sara's hair had been straight, not teased, and she hadn't worn heels with tight jeans. And this was her parents' music, blaring out of the speakers. But the girls whispered and giggled, and the boys prodded each other to make moves. One big group joined and divided, pairing up to dance, get drinks, flirt. On the fringes, there were a few awkward kids, uncertain. A boy headed for the food. A girl stumbled, wobbling on her heels.

A pack of boys moved across the room towards her. Not in an obvious group, though Sara noticed it. One approached her from the side, took her elbow, offered her another drink. She smiled uncomfortably, but accepted it. The other boys watched. Waiting. But a friend broke away from the dancing group, came over to talk to her, and the boys turned away, like predators who had failed, once again, to separate their prey from the herd.

_The music pounded, and the lights flashed._

Sara shook her head and began her own stumbling walk around the room. The girls looked at her, whispered to each other, and turned away. She walked past them, listening to their gossip. She hadn't picked out that one floppy-haired boy from the crowd, but maybe the girls would say something to point her in the right direction.

A boy bumped into her, spilling a drink. "Oh, sorry." He didn't look sorry. "Haven't seen you here before."

"My mom cleans this place," Sara said. "She said the party would be pretty wild. I snuck over to check it out."

"Yeah?" He eyed her. "Let me show you around."

Sara walked beside him, making a point to lose her balance every now and then. He showed her where to get the drinks, and pointed out the bathroom. Introduced her to a couple of the other boys, but not to any of the girls. One of the boys lurched as if he was drunk, grabbed her shoulder, and pulled the loose neck of her shirt past her shoulder. The other boys nudged him and laughed as she adjusted the shirt to cover more of her cleavage. 

She glanced away for a moment to see Zari heading for the stairs. So Zari hadn't found their target yet, either. Sara followed her guide for another two minutes or so, then excused herself.

"I need to use the little girls' room," she said. "Where is it, again?"

"Upstairs," one of the boys responded. 

"Wasn't there one over there?" Sara pointed in the wrong direction.

"You should use the upstairs one," the boy said.

"Oh," Sara said, turning around as if she were off balance. "Ok."

She headed up the stairs. She didn't need to turn around to know that at least one of the boys was following her. Expected. She kept far enough ahead that he didn't know that she had noticed him, then suddenly pushed the first door open.

Smoke, accompanied by the sound of Pink Floyd, poured out. It smelled like a mix of cigarettes and pot. But her target wasn't one of the bleary-eyed faces that stared back at her.

"Sorry," Sara said. "Just looking for the bathroom." She backed out. The boy who had followed her kept his distance.

She tried several doors, but didn't find Zari in any of them until she got to the end of the hall, and heard her voice.

"Oh, you rented this place?" Zari was saying. "Wow. Awesome. Super awesome."

And that was the code. Sara reached into her pocket - yes, she had found skin-tight jeans with pockets - and pushed a button. Mick should be here at any moment. 

He thumped up the stairs, hat askew. Sara was worried for a moment. He looked more like a member of the Village People than an actual cop. And, as she had reminded everyone, disco had been dead for two years already.

But he stomped past her and barged into the room. "What's this?" he rumbled. "Smells like booze." There was a crash, as if he had thrown a bottle against the wall. "You got ID, kid?" 

There was the sound of a person - or two - scrambling. "Nothing going on here, officer," a boy said.

"Nothing to see," another boy echoed. "Move along."

"I'll need to write you up," Mick grunted. "You need to come down to the station with me."

The boys started laughing. 

"You need to come down to the station," Mick repeated.

"You don't know," the first boy finally said, breathless. "He actually doesn't know."

"Do you know who his mom is?" the second boy asked.

"You need to..." Mick said again.

"I get it," the first boy said. "You want a turn. That's it."

"Wait. What?" That was Zari, finally.

"No," Mick said.

"You looking for cash?" the first boy asked. "We don't have any right here."

"Plus we gave at the office," the second kid chuckled.

"Go home, pig," the first kid said. "Find someone else to rough up."

"You need..." Mick forced out.

"We don't need to do anything," the first kid said. "You need to leave before you get yourself in trouble."

"You... you..." Mick stuttered.

"Just go," the second kid said 

Mick left. At least he gave Sara a helpless shrug on the way out.

Which meant this was up to her. And Zari. That figured.

Sara staggered into the room. "Is this the little girls' room?" she asked.

The boys leered at her. "It is if you want it to be," the first one said.

"You know she wants it," the second one agreed.

That's when Zari picked up a lamp and smashed it over the second boy's head. 

"That was my move," Sara grumbled. 

"I'm tired of playing this game," Zari replied. She gestured at the first boy, and the sheets fluttered around him until they tied him to a chair. "Let's go."

"That doesn't actually fix things," Sara said. "Not that I disapprove."

"No," Zari agreed. "But there's other stuff going on up here for us to deal with." 

There was a line of boys outside another room. Zari led the way to the door, shoved it open, and knocked the boys inside out of the way. 

"Hey!" one yelled. "It was my turn!"

"Go fuck yourself," Sara said, and hit another boy over the head with a chair.

They worked their way down the hallway, kicking down doors. Some of the boys snuck out, sheepishly. Others just leered at them. In two of the rooms, the kisses were consensual, and Sara and Zari decided to ignore them. In others, they ended up helping girls to the toilet.

And then Wally zipped past them and whisked two of the girls away. A moment later, he was back.

"Hey," he said. "I'm getting everyone out. Mick's orders."

"Mick bailed on us," Zari said.

"No, he didn't," Wally said. "He went to the backup plan. And I need to get everyone out of here, before he sets it off."

"Sets it off...?" Zari asked.

Sara was a few steps ahead of her. "Get the kids in the room on the right," she said. " _Both_ of them want to be making out, so they're cool. They don't deserve whatever Mick has planned. Oh, and neither do the kids smoking pot in the front room, or the kids who are dancing downstairs." 

"On it," Wally said.

Moments later, Zari and Sara were outside, encouraging girls into cars to head away.

"Cops," Sara said. "This party is busted. Get out of here while you can."

One of the girls got behind the wheel and encouraged her friends to get in. "I'm the designated driver," she said proudly. "I do commercials for MADD."

"Great," Sara said. "Get your friends home safely." She shut the car door behind them.

Wally appeared, holding a plastic jug with something dripping out of it.

"Wally?" Zari frowned. "What did you just..."

The house exploded. 

"Oh," she said.

Mick walked towards them, covered in soot. "Don't say I don't follow instructions," he said. "Burn it all down, you said." 

"Not literally," Zari grumbled. "But, yeah. Fine."

They turned and walked back to the jump ship in silence.

***

"So it didn't make a difference," Zari said. "Except for the rumors that the Talking Heads song referred to that party. Shit."

"Perhaps it is difficult to change the results of systematic oppression by killing a single villain," Gideon said.

"Group of villains," Sara said. 

"Felt good setting them on fire, though," Mick said.

"But we still need to do more," Wally argued.

Everyone looked at Sara. "Gideon, take us to Atlantic City, mid-80s," she said. "There's a corrupt real estate developer there who's up to his neck in tax evasion. And we need to take him down."

"Do we get to burn down a casino?" Mick asked hopefully.

"Or bring him in for breaking tax laws, like Al Capone?" Zari suggested.

"I was planning to check up on some hookers, porn stars, and teenaged beauty contestants," Sara said. "They could probably make use of some League of Assassins poisons."

**Author's Note:**

> p.s. Time machines don't exist. Neither do superheroes.
> 
> We are the only ones who can save ourselves.
> 
> Vote, as if everything depends on it.


End file.
